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Friday, July 6, 2012

Straight from the Headlines! What Everyone was Talking About this Week

Hello Lovely People, hope you’ve had a splendid week. Welcome to another round up of news stories that made headlines across Nigeria this week.
This week, which coincidentally began on the first day of July has been quite interesting. It was a mixture of the good, the bad, the funny, the interesting and more.
A good number of Super Eagles and Arsenal FC fans were disappointed with the announcement made on the Arsenal FC official website saying that the Arsenal Football Club was postponing its proposed trip to Nigeria this summer. This implies that the planned game scheduled for Saturday, August 5 in Abuja would not be holding anymore.

Arsenal marketing director Angus Kinnear said: “Bringing a top-level club to an international market is always complicated and logistically challenging. With the proposed match in Nigeria planned for early August, we could not get comfortable on everything needed to satisfy our requirements, so we have reluctantly taken the decision to postpone the team’s visit.”
This is just one of the stories that made headlines. Here’s more:
***The Federal Government of Nigeria on Monday July 2nd said a new date for the commencement of repair of the Third Mainland Bridge would be announced soon. The repair on the bridge which was scheduled to commence on on Sunday Ist of July, 2012 was postponed due to logistic reasons by the government a day before. Federal Comptroller of Works in Lagos, Mr. Ejike Mgbemena, at a briefing, noted that this will douse the tension that the Federal Government was suspending repairs of the 22-year-old bridge indefinitely. He, however, blamed the anxiety created over the project on the ineptitude of the contractor. “What we were considering was first week of July not a specific day in July.”
***In deference to the mounting safety concerns raised by parents, state governments and several sections of the public, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has redeployed prospective corps members previously posted to “volatile states” in the North. Parents and several stakeholders, including the House of Representatives, have kicked vehemently against posting the corps members to states that have been prone to severe security threats. Prospective corp members, who were posted to Bauchi, Gombe, Plateau, Kano and Kaduna States and are yet to report to their camps, have now been directed to report immediately to the NYSC Directorate headquarters in Abuja for redeployment. Those posted to Yobe and Borno States would also now carry out their orientation exercise at the NYSC camps in Nasarawa and Benue States respectively.
***President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday forwarded the name of Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar to the Senate for confirmation as Chief Justice of Nigeria. Senate President, Senator David Mark, read the nomination letter dated July 3, 2012 at Wednesday’s plenary. In the letter entitled: “Appointment of Chief Justice of Nigeria” Jonathan said the appointment is in conformity with Section 231 Sub-section (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended.” The President urged the Senate to give the nomination expeditious attention. With the nomination of Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar , Nigeria’s apex court is set to have its first female head.
***Tragedy struck as heavy downpour in Maiduguri, Borno State capital, from Wednesday evening till the early hours of Thursday displaced over 10,000 residents, with property worth millions of naira destroyed. In Jajeri Moslem Cemetery in Maiduguri and Jere Council Area, over 500 dead bodies were washed up from their graves. A 10-year-old, who was buried two days ago, was also washed up. The rainfall, which started at 5.00pm, Wednesday, stopped at 7.00pm; continued again by 2.00am till 6.00am on Thursday. The down-pour was said to be the heaviest in the state since the commencement of the rainy season. Mallam Bukar Maina, a resident, said the affected people have met and unanimously endorsed a letter to Governor Shettima to come to their aid.
***The National Security Adviser, retired Col. Sambo Dasuki said on Wednesday in Jos that he had contacts of key Boko Haram leaders for possible dialogue with the group. Dasuki, who spoke in Jos during a meeting with stakeholders in Plateau, said that he was planning to meet with the group on the need for it to cease fire and embrace dialogue as soon as possible. “I was in Yobe and Borno States last week and I have got the telephone numbers and contacts of key Boko Haram members and I will meet with them. I saw the dangerous effect of Boko Haram in these states and what I saw was pathetic. But I have the mandate to put heads together with religious and traditional leaders as well as the state governments to ensure an immediate ceasefire.”
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The NYSC Coordinator in Katsina State, Ebenezer Afolalu, said on Wednesday that a female corps member delivered a baby girl at the orientation camp in Katsina. Mr. Afolalu said this in Katsina, during the opening ceremony of the 2012 orientation course for batch B NYSC members deployed to the state. The coordinator, who refused to disclose the name and state of the corps member, said that the lady delivered on the first day of registration, at the camp clinic. He added that both the mother and baby are in good health. Mr. Afolalu said that a total of 2,144 NYSC members were deployed to the state.
***Travellers at the Benin Airport panicked on Thursday when an air force plane crash-landed on the runway. Sources confirmed that none of the two pilots onboard the aircraft, with registration number 5N-BKS, were injured in the incident. “The plane landed on the runway with its tyres locked in, an indication that the tyres did not shoot out,” said a source at the airport. “But only the pilot can really explain what happened.” An airport rescue team led Air Maritime Operations responded promptly with the emergency team. The incident caused delays in flight operations for some hours. The plane has been evacuated to Okada aircraft hangar along airport road.
***Veteran actor, Richard Mofe-Damijo, popularly known as RMD clocked 51 years today, July 6, 2012. He was born July 6, 1961 in Warri (Nigeria). He studied Theatre Arts at the University of Benin. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful and talented actors in Nigeria. He won the best actor in a leading role in the African Movie Academy Awards in 2005. Since January 2009 he has been the Commissioner for Culture and Tourism in Delta State, Nigeria

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How do you feel about the news that made headlines across the country this week. Are there any other events you would like to share with us?